Valdosta— As the Valdosta State softball team watched Hawaii-Pacific celebrate their first ever national championship, the 2009-2010 VSU athletic season came to an end.

This year the Blazer faithful had a lot to cheer for. This season eight of the eleven sports competed in the national tournament as football, golf and volleyball were the only teams to not qualify.

Valdosta State added new hardware to the trophy cases as VSU brought home four Gulf South Conference championships while racking up three South Regional championships.

Three teams, men’s basketball, men’s tennis and softball, made the finals of their respected sports as men’s tennis and softball competed in the national championship games, even though both teams fell short.

With all that said, it is safe to say Valdosta State athletics has had a good, yet memorable year. Here is a look back at 2009-2010 sport by sport and what to expect next season.

Football: The VSU football team finished with a 6-4 record and missed out on the playoffs. One of the biggest story lines of the season was the arrest of quarterback Kellen Lewis, who transferred to VSU for his senior season after being dismissed from Indiana University. The team stood by Lewis as he played in the following game and carried the Blazers to a come from behind win over Harding. The season started with a rare loss to Newberry College at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. The Blazers lost on the road to Delta State and Ouachita Baptist before being pounded by North Alabama by a score of 62-27 at home on national television. The Blazers finished the season with a 70-6 win over NAIA opponent, Edward Waters. The biggest question for the Blazers next season, who is the quarterback and how will they guide the offense.

Men’s basketball: The VSU men’s basketball team recorded their best season in school history as head coach Mike Helfer guided the team to 27 wins while recording just four losses. Despite the 27 wins, the biggest accomplishment of the season, winning the South Region tournament after knocking off No. 1 ranked Arkansas Tech and advancing to the NCAA Elite 8, might be overlooked because of the dismissal of Marvin “BJ” Dibble and All-American Tyrone Curnell just hours prior to the teams 80-64 loss to Indiana University (PA). The Blazers knocked off two No. 1 ranked teams, Arkansas Tech in the South Regional tournament, at Arkansas Tech, and Augusta State, who came to the Complex on Jan. 16. The Blazers broke another season average in attendance as they broke the single game attendance record twice, once versus North Alabama and the second versus West Georgia in the home finale, although the most electric crowd might go to the 2,636 that filled the Complex for the Augusta State game. The team returns just two players for next season’s squad.

Softball: The Valdosta State Lady Blazers posted the best season in school history. In just his fifth season as head coach of the Lady Blazers, Thomas Macera led VSU to their first ever South Regional Championship and first ever appearance in the Softball Championships while the Lady Blazers recorded their second straight GSC Championship. The Lady Blazers knocked off 50-0 North Georgia at the Softball Championships as they rolled on to meet Angelo State where VSU freshman Morgan Johnson needed a walk-off homerun to carry VSU to the National Championship game, where they fell to Hawaii-Pacific on national television. The Lady Blazers were the second best homerun hitting team in the nation as All-American catcher Alyssa Shirey and shortstop Marti Littlefield combined for 37 homeruns hit while pitchers Holly Satterfield and Margaret Carter combined for 51 wins and an ERA of 1.30 while striking out 333 batters. The Lady Blazers will have quite the battle in the outfield as Clare Wamsley will return from a torn ACL and will have to compete with freshman of the year Morgan Johnson for the left fielders position next season. The Lady Blazers return all players for next season except infielder Stephanie Carlson and All-American catcher Alyssa Shirey.

Women’s basketball: The Lady Blazers had one of the most impressive turnarounds in all of the nation as they started the season several games under .500. The Lady Blazers didn’t lose their first game in the calendar year of 2010 until the GSC tournament when they fell to Delta State. The Lady Blazers swept the Gulf South Conference Eastern Division as they posted a 10-0 regular season record in GSC play. The Lady Blazers finished the season with a 20-9 overall record this past season and will look to Amanda Haven, who made the game winning shot in the opening round of the national tournament this season, to fill the void of leadership next season.

Baseball: The VSU baseball team had yet another early exit from the NCAA tournament this season after winning the Gulf South Conference. The Blazers posted another 50 win season as they accumulated 51 win to just nine losses. The Blazers fell to Tampa in the second game of the regional tournament before being knocked out by Rollins when they fell 8-4 the following day. Seniors Jon Koeningsfeld and Clayton Cain were named Academic All-Americans this season. The Blazers will rely on strong pitching from Brett Kennedy in 2011 while looking to fill the void of Brandon Decker and Clayton Cain, who combined for 41 homeruns this season (21-Decker, 20-Cain).

Tennis: The Valdosta State tennis teams had yet another great year under the direction of head coach John Hansen, who was named Coach of the Year. The ladies were ousted in the regional tournament while the men claimed the South Regional championship and advanced to the national tournament where they fell in the National Championship to Barry, 2-1. Both teams won the Gulf South Conference tournament this past season. Coach Hansen will re-build and will look to have dangerous teams in 2011.

Volleyball: The VSU Volleyball team had a disappointing season under head coach Sia Poyer. Poyer directed the ladies to a 15-13 record (4-6 in GSC play). Coach Poyer will look to Irene Hannan for strong senior leadership next season as he says he believes he will have a much improved team next season.

Cross Country: The VSU cross country teams posted a top 10 showing in the NCAA Southeast Regional tournament this past year. The teams will look to veteran running to carry them in 2010.

Golf: Despite a top 25 ranking much of the season, the VSU golf team finished just 19th at the regional tournament. Chesley Gunn was named an All-American for the Blazers.

Soccer: VSU athletic director Herb Reinhard announced the plans for a new Division II women’s soccer team at Valdosta State. The team will begin play in the fall of 2011 and will be coached by Melissa Heinz. The team will play their games at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium and will compete in the Gulf South Conference. The team will hold open try-outs this fall.

It has been an honor to cover VSU sports this season for the Spectator. I am looking forward to my new job duty as Managing Editor for 2010-2011 while still holding my position as a sports beat writer. Look for more improved sports coverage starting in August of 2010 when the VSU football team opens training camp.

If you have any suggestions on what the Spectator can do to improve the sports coverage, and news coverage, of Valdosta State University, please e-mail ephooper@valdosta.edu or our new sports editor dmdrakeford@valdosta.edu.

Look for new weekly video segments, “VSU Sports Update”, starting in the fall where we will be getting you caught up with the players and coaches of Valdosta State while getting catching you up in the week of VSU sports. Enjoy the remainder of the summer break and until August, remember, Go Blazers Go!